Spotlight to shine on program to encourage leadership and giving by the women of IU South Bend

Women of IU South Bend is a new program created to highlight and foster humanitarian giving by women coming to the university. It serves as the campus connection to a program started ten years ago by IU First Lady, Laurie Burns McRobbie, called Women in Philanthropy. In a recent interview, IU South Bend’s Director of Development and University Advancement, Dina Harris, explained the purpose of the program which is “For women to engage together” in the “camaraderie” of giving.

As research has shown and Harris concurred, “More and more women will be inheriting more money” in coming years, so creating an environment in which women are encouraged to give, and that giving is celebrated, is one of the main goals of this project.

On Oct. 18, McRobbie will be on the IU South Bend campus to help bring attention to this initiative at a luncheon called Women Helping Women.

According to a Daily Titan post from Aug. 22, this event was created to recognize female student leaders attending IU South Bend. The IU South Bend Development Office manages the selection process, with the Advisory Board of the Women of IU South Bend making the selections. Student honorees are nominated by the faculty or staff on campus, or can be self-nominated. Students will receive a $500 award to be given to the non-profit of their choice.

Awards will be presented at the luncheon which will feature remarks given by campus and IU Foundation leadership along with McRobbie. The event will also include a review of the honorees’ accomplishments. Invitees to the luncheon include area philanthropists, young business leaders, and members of organizations that benefit from the volunteer leadership of these students, along with select students, staff and faculty members, alumnae and local government leaders and legislators.

The Women of IU South Bend council’s mission is to lead engagement efforts that inspire women to give their time, talent and support to the university and to develop women leaders on campus. Its vision is to bring women leaders together providing connections, learning experiences, and opportunities to engage with IU South Bend in ways that reflect their presence in the community. To this end, Harris said there will be three future events over the course of the academic year that will be focused on three areas: education, the arts, and the actual decision making process involving the disbursement of grants to university women involved in the development of programs that benefit the community as a whole. Recent recipients have included Krista Baily, director of the IU South Bend center for a sustainable future, and Dr. Mallory Jagodzinski, IU South Bend’s assistant director of alumni relations, who used her grant to help the student food pantry, Titans Feeding Titans, purchase a much needed new refrigerator.

Faculty members may nominate students or students may nominate themselves for the Women Helping Women event in October. The nomination form is available from the Development Office and is due by Friday, September 7.